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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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THE 



Perplexing Problem 



OR, 



JUSTICE TO THE INDIAN. 



Justice to the Indian not alone^ 
But justice alike to every one 2 



A POEM, IN THREE PARTS. 



1'^ 



BENJAMIN TRIGG 




Part I, — The Accusation, 

"" WASHl 

Part II. — The Defense!* 

Part III. — Justice. 



PREFACE. 



T^^ 



This little poem was comiDOsed immediately 
after the Modoc Massacre, upon reading the 
views expressed by various writers and speak- 
ers as to the causes leading to this and other 
Indian outrages. Among the opinions, that 
of the Hon. Wendell Phillips being the most 

impressive. 

B. Trigge. 

Brooklyn, (E. D.,) N. Y., 
36s Wythe Avenue. 



Copyright, 1886, hy Benjamin Trigge, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



PART I. 



The Accusation. 

The hue-and-cry goes through the land 
Against that bold and warlike band 

That we call savage Indian; 
With young and old it is the same: 
They each and all alike exclaim, 

''Annihilate the Indian! " 

He kills, they say, both friend and foe. 
And brings upon us untold woe, 

This miserable Indian! 
Outrage and war with him are rife. 
And victims feel the scalping knife 

Of this bloodthirsty Indian! 

He stealthily enters quiet homes, 
He heeds not either cries or moans. 

This cruel, heartless Indian! 
But will with arrow or rifle slay. 
And tomahawk all those in his way. 

Unmerciful, wild Indian! 



THE accusatio:n'. 



He prowls along the traveler's path, 
Full of evil, devilish wrath, 

This treach'rous, wily Indian! 
That he may thus take unaware 
The stranger ere he can prepare 

To guard against that Indian! 

Friendship to no one will he show. 
For such a thing he does not know, 

This dark, unfriendly Indian! 
But in a sullen, silent mood 
Over his fancied wrongs he'll brood. 

This deep, suspicious Indian! 

Firewater is his chief delight, 
Which gives him a desire to fight 

Whate'er may cross his path — 
Whether bird, beast, or human being. 
That will appease the savage spleen 

Of his revengeful wrath. 

He glories in the cruel deed 

Which makes his victim writhe and bleed. 

And in deep torture languish; 
While he will yell in savage tones 
To drown the sufferer's dying moans, 

And mock at his great anguish. 



THE ACCUSATION. 



'Tis also said he hates all work, 
And that he's ever on the lurk 

To murder, rob, and ravage; 
Or pounce, hawk-like, upon his prey, 
And carry it by force away. 

This good-for-nothing savage! 

His squaw is nothing but a slave, 
And prematurely old and grave 

By her laborious toil; 
While he, the monarch of the plains, 
Proudly and scornfully disdains 

His noble hands to soil. 

Education he doth despise; 
It is mysterious in his eyes. 

And racks his torpid brain ; 
He holds such thing in great contempt^ 
And only hails what is exempt 

From serious thought and pain. 

Tame the Indian we never can: 
No matter how we try or plan 

He'll burst all bonds asunder; 
Civilization he defies. 
In roving life his spirit lies. 

That he may spoil and plunder. 



6 THE ACCUSATIOl^. 

Then why should such a lawless band 
As this exist in any land, 

Much less a Christian nation? 
*'Blot him out!" should be the cry; 
Let this inhuman Indian die, 

By powder or starvation! 

Peace then woul d reign throughout the land, 
When we were rid of this vile band — 

This idle, savage nation; 
The warwhoop we should no more fear. 
But in its place would only hear 

The hum of civilization. 

Our western lands, too, would be free, 
No more wild Indians would there be 

Disputing our possession; 
But on the Indian's hunting-ground 
Towns and cities would be found 

In line of their progression. 



PART II. 



The Defense. 

What the Indian is said to do 
Is bad, indeed, if it be true. 

And merits condemnation; 
But let us see the other side. 
And judge aright ere we decide 

On his annihilation. 

Now, why should we, in frenzied state. 
Cry out, "We must annihilate 

This miserable Red Man ? " 
When we with him for slightest cause 
Will violate our own made laws. 

And cheat whenever we can ! 

Nay, let us cease thus to exclaim, 
And see upon whom rests the blame — 

The civilized, or the savage; 
Or whether his or our great greed 
Causes each cruel, bloody deed 

Of murder, strife, and ravage. 



THE DEFENSE. 



A citizen be cannot be 

Of tbis great land of liberty, 

His is a proscribed nation ; 
For we can better by this plan 
Deceive tbis miserable man, 

And take bis reservation. 

We witb tbe Indian treaties make, 
And tell bim be sball sucb land take, 

And live on it forever; 
Yet wbile we tbus witb vow^s beguile, 
We in an improved, modern style 

Tbese treaties soon dissever. 

Agents we send unto tbis band 
To give protection to bis land. 

And guard it from transgressors; 
Yet tbey become bis- greatest foes. 
And bring upon bim all bis woes 

By aiding bis aggressors. 

Tbey witb firewater bim supply, 
Wbicb clouds bis brain and fires his eye^ 

And goads bim on to battle; 
He will no danger tben escbew. 
But witb our guns and powder, too. 

Hell kill botb men and cattle. 



THE DEFENSE. 



His hunting-grounds he then must lose, 
And if to leave them he refuse, 

To war he'll be subjected; 
For in his track the settlers come. 
And civilization's noisy hum 

Can never be rejected. 

What care we if his lands are tilled. 
Or that his grounds are all well filled. 

And ripe with vegetation ? 
Those things do not our feelings touch— 
The land is rich, we need all such 

For schemes of speculation. 

Or that there's schools and churches there, 
And civilization ev'ry- where 

Upon his reservation ? 
The white man craves its mineral wealth. 
And have it will, by either stealth 

Or war upon the nation. 

We do not heed the Indian's prayer, 
That we his home and land would spare 

From such annihilation; 
Nor do we heed the widow's sigh. 
Nor listen to the orphan's cry 

Against such desecration. 



10 THE DEFEN^SE. 

For he can use both mind and hand, 
And cultivate his prairie land, 

As well as o'er it roam ; 
And also cipher, read, and write 
As well as either black or white, 

And likewise love his home 

' He's forced to leave his home or die. 
And must not ask the reason why 

He is so badly treated; 
For civilized people surely know 
That he to other grounds must go 

To have like justice meted. 

Banished again from land and home. 
Once more he's sent adrift to roam 

On some new reservation; 
There to remain till, in awhile. 
He's driven away, in Indian style. 

By this great Christian nation. 

Removed by force from place to place 
By a civilized. Christian race. 

Who mock at his depression. 
Can any body wonder why 
He's ready then to fight — ay, die — 

To keep his own possession ? 



THE DEFElSrSE. 11 

Or that, thus maddened by these wrongs, 
He whoops his cry and wails his songs 

Of bitter lamentation ? 
Discrimination he'll not make, 
But all alike will then partake 

Of his retaliation. 

If what the Indian does is wrong, 

To whom does most the blame belong — 

The oppressed, or the oppressor ? 
If we will cheat him and deceive, 
It is but just he should believe 

That we are the transgressor. 

If civilized nations always fight 

For what they think their home and right 

Against supposed oppression, 
Shall savages not do the same. 
And fight for what they justly claim 

To be their own possession ? 

He's worse than coward, worse than knava 
That would not fight his home to save 

From all who would invade it. 
" Back, back! " should ever be his cry; 
" For my own home I'll fight — ay, die — 

If I can only save it." 



12 THE DEFEl^SE. 



In the earliest, darkest time, 
In every land, in every clime. 

Freedom and home were e'er sought. 
And they who for these blessings stood 
Risked all that human beings could, 

And boldly for them, too, fought. 



PART III. 



Justice. 

To solve this problem we suggest 
The plan which seems to us the best, 

And which all should approve; 
Which would like justice give to all. 
And would the chains which now enthrall 

The Indian soon remove: 

A citizen of him let us make. 
And of our laws let him partake, 

And lead a peaceful life; 
Punishing him if he do wrong. 
Or take what to him don't belong. 

By either fraud or strife. 



JUSTICE. Ic 



Educate him we also should. 
And fill with intellectual food 

His unenlightened brain; 
Teaching him thus to cease his strife, 
And to endeavor in this life 

A nobler end to gain. 

Land, too, the Indian should receive, 
That he his wants may thus relieve 

By culturing the soil; 
His savage ways he should forsake. 
And for himself and children make 

A home by honest toil. 

Protected thus in every right. 
He could alone life's battle fight. 

And independent be; 
Needing no governmental aid. 
And being from each and every raid 

Continually free. 

Then a good citizen he'd become. 
Helping to swell the civilized hum. 

Marching progressively; 
And gain, instead of savage strife, 
A state of peaceful, happy life. 

Freedom, prosperity. 



14 JUSTICE. 



If as a nation we him treat, 

Then to the Indian we should mete 

The rights due to all nations; 
Respecting territorial bounds, 
Keeping intruders off the grounds 

Of treaty reservations. 

His land, like ours, should be his own, 
And sacred should be every home. 

And free from molestation; 
All innovation should be curbed. 
And none should ever be disturbed 

By strife or peculation. 

While education would abound. 
And civilization hem him round 

From border unto border. 
We'd have, where lawlessness once stood 
And Red and White men shed their blood, 

Protection, law, and order. 

Justice, then, giving just reward. 
Would to each one his dues accord, 

No matter who they'd be; 
Thus, all being guarded in their right, 
We should from the disgraceful sight 

Of Indian wars be free. 



JUSTICE. 15 



Peace and prosperity will reign 
Over the earth's entire domain. 

From one end to the other, 
When man with man shall justly deal. 
And toward each other act and feel 

The part of friend and brother. 

In the distant, future day. 
When prejudice has died away 

Against that savage people, 
And history's pages shall proclaim 
The deeds of wrong against the same 

Performed by civilized people, 

'Twill bring the blush to many a face. 
And make them feel the deep disgrace 

Of such vile degradation; 
Yea, almost make them wish they could 
Blot out forever with their blood 

That stain from off the nation. 

Then shall the people wonder why 
There e'er was raised the hue-and-cry 

Of Indian extirpation; 
And feel it right and just they should. 
By actions noble, kind, and good. 

Make proper reparation. 



Just in deed as well as name, 
The golden rule our end and aim, 

Our motto then would be — 
I will with all men wrong eschew, 
And only to all others do 

As they should do to me. 

With this grand motto in our mind 
No evil could a place there find, 

If we worked on its plan; 
Justice alone would reign supreme. 
And man would love his fellow-being 

As only God loves man. 




